Halo: Enigma of the Mind
by Viable-Solution
Summary: [OneShot] Delve into the mind of a Spartan. Dan was a happy little boy on the planet of Valus Prime. then the Spartan Program came into play. Now he is fighting for the planets survival. But it is two battles in one.


Halo

The Enigma of the Mind

_**The stars could**_ be seen for miles around. The beautiful diamonds were shining with unrelenting brilliance, and gave the two boys lying in the grass something to look at as they pondered thoughts that prevented them from sleeping. One boy was about 4' 8'' with short brown hair and hazel eyes, he had a white shirt on and baggy green shorts. The other boy was about 4' 6'' with short blond hair, and blue eyes, with a red shirt and baggy gray pants. They laid in the same position every night when their parents allowed them to be out past curfew, and they were never seen anywhere else. The boy in the white shirt spoke up.

"Do you think that there is anyone else out there?"

"John, how am I supposed to know?" The boy in the red shirt replied.

"Well I've been thinking lately Dan, we see all of these stars, what if some of them are worlds? What are they like!?" John replied.

"I don't know, but it is possible," Dan thought aloud.

"And if there are other people out there, do you think that they are wondering what things are like here?"

"I guess...Do YOU think that we'll ever meet them?" Dan asked.

There was a silence as John thought over his answers. He always hated to be wrong, and always seemed to win at everything he did. Playing games, or just talking in a conversation. He just hated to lose. When he didn't answer Dan looked back up at the sky. Maybe one day they would meet someone from another world.

Dan had always been the loser when it came to John. Every time the two went into an argument or competition Dan was always the one who lost. Simply because he did things for the fun of it. Playing King-Of-The-Hill? Falling down and scraping up your knees? That was one of the things that made Dan feel good about himself whenever he could see John tumbling down the hill and then scrambling back up in an attempt to win.

Dan was always the person you could go to if you just needed to talk. Whenever you felt crummy about something Dan could find a way to cheer you up. But something in him went away when the Spartan II program started up.

_**The Pelican drop ship**_ bounced as it hit turbulence. The twelve or so armed marines in the ship bounced with it. Some held pictures of loved ones, others clung to their rifles, others just sat there. Waiting to do their job. Dan? He stood in the opening of the Pelican looking over the ruined landscape of Valus Prime. The planet had once been tranquil and beautiful. Now with the arrival of the Covenant Armada, things changed. The once lush green plains of Meridia Field were now barren with a few plants spread here and there.

The buildings of its many cities which seemed as tall as the sky, now seemed shorter than a garden gnome. The spread out survivors were in danger every second of their lives now. But the U.N.S.C. Was doing their best to evacuate the planet before...a glassing. A glassing was the action in which a Covenant assured that the human race would never return to a planet. Their plasma guns were turned on the planet and its surface was glassed over, planets, animals, even their own soldiers were killed in the onslaught. Dan was one of the "heroes" of the war.

He was a Spartan II super soldier, He was seven feet tall, clad in green MJOLNIR Mark VI armor, and weighed half a metric ton. His shining gold visor which gave him his H.U.D. (Heads-Up-Display), also hid his features from everyone. Including the various species of aliens within the Covenant. On the side of his helmet in black letters read the word "Rayzer", telling of the Spartan's nickname. He had a BR-55 rifle, also known as the Battle Rifle, in his hands. An enormous T-61 sniper rifle strung across his back. Across his left shoulder could be seen aknife that was easily a foot long. As Dan looked over, a marine looked up and then hastily looked down.

Dan dismissed this and then looked back out of the hatchway. There was a firefight among some stranded marines, and a group of covenant. Taking a closer look with his Battle Rifle's scope, Dan was able to see what the marines were facing. Elites. They acted as the sergeants and higher ranks of the Covenant army. Often referred to as "split-lips" by U.N.S.C. Marines. They had a variety of other names as well.

"_Be ready marines! The LZ is hot!_" came the voice of their drop ships pilot, Alpha 201, Black Bird.

There was a chorus that sung out as the marines readied their weapons. As the Pelican stopped its forward motion and began to set down, plasma fire from the elites could be heard hitting against the hull. Dan jumped out and began to run towards the marine position. As he hammered against the wall there was a grunt as a soldier fell to the ground, clutching at a plasma burn.

Dan reached the rifle around the corner and blind fired at the enemy position. And then popped out and was able to bring an elite down to its knees, and eventually back to its maker. Dan unloaded his current clip, and slammed a fresh one in with a satisfying "click" and continued to fire. The marines finally caught up to the Spartan just in time to see him jump over a piece of fallen concrete the size of a minivan and charge into the enemy ranks.

There was a flash of silver as the knife over his left shoulder was taken out of its sheath with a "SHIIIK!" and used to deadly effect. Cutting graceful arcs through the air and swaths of purple through the body armor of those who got in his way. Some would swear that a Spartan in this state meant that he was rather Irate. The truth is, they were just doing what they were good at. Their job.

_**Spartans were taken **_from age 5 to be trained as the best soldiers that the human race had. Dan had been taken from his parents along with his child hood friend John. While John excelled all around the board, marksmenship, CQC (Close-Quarters-Combat), and other assorted areas. Dan was always the best at using a knife. Hence his nickname.

Although in his memory there were holes. Holes that could not be patched with stories of his exploits, but holes that would stay there, like gateways opening up to things that no one wanted in. He didn't remember his parents faces, or even when his birthday was. At times he would get flashes of the one thing his life had anymore. Combat.

Most would consider this amount of lost memory as a blessing. For it could be hiding an even they did not wish to remember. But for a Spartan, it was a curse. With every battle came a decision that had to be made, all so that someone could be saved, or killed.

To a Spartan, there is always a conflict. The one that lingers around till their death, the one that stays with them through all times, good and bad. This conflict is, where do they belong? Once peace ensues, or the Covenant are destroyed, what does life plan for them? Does it plan for them to do something great with their immense strength? Or does it plan for them to have families and tell of their stories?

_**The Covenant retreated**_ after a while. Even after their shorter than grass "Grunts" arrived, even after their "Jackals" killed several marines. There was one person in the way. And that was the Spartan. Private Andrew Malone stood in awe of the green clad giant as he tucked his knife away and looked at him. The visor his all of his features from anyone, and everyone. But even though he could not see it. Malone knew that the warrior was looking at him.

On the side of his helmet, in black letters, was the word "Rayzer". Other than being spelled wrong, Malone assumed it had a point. But now he knew why it was there. As they settled down for the night, and as the medics took care of the rescued marines. Malone stood next to the Spartan and tried to get the question that was gnawing at the back of his head to come out. But he just couldn't. As if he knew what Malone wanted, he began to talk, his voice muffled through the helmets com system.

"I had a night like this once, beautiful, quiet..." He began looking up at the starry night "And it all went away"

"Sir...why do you do what you do?" Malone asked turning to face Rayzer.

"Because that is all I have...Everything else is gone, erased, no more"

"But don't you have a place to go once the war is over?"

"Do you private? There are times when I wish I did" Rayzer replied "But the cold hard truth is, I don't"

"Why not?" Malone pushed the envelope.

"Private, I have had a life that has been nothing but drills, combat, and survival...If I could find a place to live once this dont and live in peace, God must really love me" Rayzer replied looking around with his sniper scope.

"I used to have a brother, he was a HellJumper...the Covenant killed him shortly after his 3rd operation" Malone said telling of his own loss. "It still feels like he is right next to me,"

"The mind is an interesting thing Private, even when you think you don't have something its right there...I should know"

"Did you even have a family sir?" Malone asked Cautiously.

_**There was a **_weary silence as the Spartan recalled those quiet, peaceful nights on Valus Prime. The nights in which he and John had been the best of friends before the Spartan program. Once that had come into play, they slowly drifted apart. They became squad mates, and their friendship slowly dissipated. This was because among the others who became Spartans they both were a leader of sorts. They were the winners, but one person always came out on top. John.

"Once I had a brother, a sister, and a mother and father...then I became a Spartan" Dan replied facing the young man.

"Maybe they are standing right next to you...you said it yourself, my brother is always with me." Malone said smiling.

Dan thought about the young soldiers words and smiled underneath his helmet. Maybe they were, maybe they weren't. John had never thought about what was happening but instead just went with the flow. A couple of times Dan had been fasted for a few days, and punished because he thought something his superiors didn't agree with. He was the one ant that had its own thoughts. John was probably the Spartan programs biggest success! And maybe Dan was just a follower.

John had saved the galaxy from a device called Halo. Dan was in an operation to save a world, which would inevitably fail. John had survived Reach, against all odds. Dan had never been there after his training. John truly was a winner, the one that could not be beat, and would not be beat. But Dan, he was unique. In the sea of children in which the Spartan program "inducted" he was always the one that stood out.

Even if he lost, he kept going. Never discouraged. He used to have fun playing things such as hid-and-go-seek. Now the game was a life or death scenario every round. So was this still a game? Was Dan still the 6 year old boy sitting in the grass wondering what others were thinking?

Dan laughed to himself as he fired a shot off from his sniper rifle with an eart shattering "CRACK!", hitting a sneaking Covenant trooper and alerting the others that the time to fight was again at hand. He popped a few more shots off and then realized that all of those questions could not be answered. Maybe he was that same innocent 6 year old boy who wouldn't hurt a fly. Maybe he wasn't. As the Covenant swept over the horizon, swathed in moon light. Dan could swear that he saw two boys, staring at the sky.


End file.
